Jengirl18

Yellow Finch, That sounds like a pretty logical plan. It would be great if your degree allowed for you to enter into that particular ICU and provide the procedures. I do have one question though...in this particular group, why is it that the PAs are only on the floor? Legally, their scope of practice is the physician's (so the PAs should already be able to perform the ICU procedures....unless there is hospital policy against all midlevels performing procedures (as there are in some hospitals)??

HI NP Wannabe, I'm not sure about human biology, but human physiology/pathophysiology should definitley be in the curriculum. Would you mind listing your other science classes? Hopefully, NP programs have standards set as to what classes are implemented in the curricula across the country. Can someone tell me if NP programs have a committee (like ARC-PA for physician assistants) that monitors this?

And that, AmiK25, is what PAs are dumbfounded by. Unfortunately, in the future, I think PAs will feel the need to get a Doctorate also in order to be at an equal "degree" as DNPs (which really is unneccessary).

I agree with the above post that a Doctoral degree is not needed to be a good clinician (PAs and NPs are already doing it), although I am all for continuing one's education. I am watching to see how this whole DrNP thing unfolds. I have heard through the grapevine that in the future, there will be a legal name for the DrNPs, when addressing themselves to a patient. In the clinical setting, it may be "Hello, I am NP Doctor X" instead of Dr. X (so the patients are not confused by physicians and NPs). I can just see in the future that it will be played out in court, unfortunately.

Although MDAs and CRNAs are both licensed to administer anaesthesia, CRNAs are not licensed to practice medicine. Therefore, I think MDAs would have more knowledge about a patient's overall health, from a medical standpoint....and thus able to medical problem solve in situations when needed. It does not mean that MDAs are any different in performing the same procedures as CRNAs, it is just a given that they have more medical knowledge b/c of having several more years of training.

I agree sistermike. I don't understand why NPs are so hipped on not wanting to "work under the doctor." It would make them more marketable if they are willing to work in a more collaborative way instead of independent, and it would give the patient the best outcome.

Hello, I am a PA student, and we have BSNs in our class. They make wondeful PAs b/c of their healthcare experience. Let me lead you to a great website where you will find several PAs who would be more that willing to give you feedback. www.physicianassistant.net. Good luck in your future schooling!

I think you should also ask yourself what type of learning would work best for you. If you enjoy learning with the nursing philosophy, go NP. If you prefer to learn from a medical philosophy, go PA or MD. It sounds like to me that NP is probably what you are going for. Good luck.

Congratulations on your interview! I attend Barry's PA program, and I love it. They have prepared us well, and I am sure the nursing program is top-notch also!

To answer your question about PA school... Most schools are at the Masters level now, so the mininum degree requirement is a Bachelor's Degree for those schools. Yes, a lot of PA schools are now going to 3 years. Most are still 2 years, full time. There is a big difference in the cost of the state schools and private ones. In my program, we take 23 credits a semester (no time for work), and the same type of classes you would find in medical school. I would recommend you go to www.physicianassistant.net It's the best website to learn about PAs!

I agree with TopherSRN. And for NPs to be able to assist in surgery, I think Gross Anatomy should be implemented into the course schedules (like physician assistant school.) Please correct me if I am wrong about this, but I have looked at several NP curriculums, and I havent seen any so far. Gross anatomy is a lot different than undergrad nursing anatomy (unless they were privileged to have cadavers to work on.)

I think surgery should be taught as a high school elective....let everybody have access!

It's funny that all the classes mentioned above are ones I have already had in my PA education so far

I'm with you Vicky. There is no reason for a Doctorate if it isnt more academic. There's no reason to dumb down degrees. Let it be something that NPs can be proud of that they earned, not one that ppl will think that was given away. It's also misleading to the patients.

Hey guys, I'm still learning about the scope of practice of a DrNP. Pardon me if I disagree with one of the above posts, but I dont think you can compare the level of a DrNP to a Podiatrist. Podiatrists are licensed to perform surgery autonomously and go to school full time for 4 years and also do a residency. From what I have been reading, DrNP is only a few more credit hours than an NP, so I dont think they are on the "same level" as Podiatrist. Both are well respected professions.